I feel so thankful and blessed that you all continue to read Personal Finance Journey each week. And as a thank you to all of our wonderful readers, I’m giving away a $100 gift card to Target this month!

I’m using Rafflecopter to run this contest and you can enter up to 31 times! (10 regular entries + 21 entries from tweeting) Just make sure you enter before 12:01 a.m. February 2nd, 2012!

Good luck everyone!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’m often asked How to Make Money Blogging.  While I’ve managed to generate a modest passive stream of income, I have not reached the level as some others in the Bible-based Personal Finance World.

Check out ChristianPF’s popular article on How to Make Money with a Blog

Disclosure:  While I would link to this article anyway and have read it many times and heed to the advice, I am also being entered in a contest by including this link.

Welcome to GRABBBR!  What is GRABBBR, (pronounced “grabber”)?  It stands for Giveaway Reaching All Bible Based Blog Readers

If you are a personal finance enthusiast, you probably already know that there are TONS of quality bloggers out there offering stellar financial advice.  What you may or may not know is over the last few years, there has been a rise in the sub niche of Bible based personal finance bloggers.  These bloggers base their financial advice and principals on the fundamental truths found in the Bible.  Regardless of religious affiliation, many have been helped by these bloggers as the Bible advocates core personal finance principles such as giving, savings, and diversification to name a few.

Several of us have partnered together to bring you a giveaway offering cash, prizes, and services!  Anyone is eligible to enter and win, regardless of religion, race, or creed (see formal eligibility requirements in the official rules section).

This post is long, so you may want to jump around
How It Works |   Actions to Gain Entry Points |   Partners & Prizes
Start Gaining Entry Points |   Deadline |   Official GRABBBR Rules

How It Works

- Below, you will be introduced to the partners, who are each providing some sort of item for the give away.

- All you have to do to enter is perform certain actions.  The more actions you perform, the more entries you receive and the better your chances of winning.

- All entries will be loaded into a numbered spreadsheet and selected using Random.org

Actions to Gain Entry Points

* 1 entry point for each partner you fan / follow on Facebook

* 1 entry point for each partner you follow on Twitter

* 2 entry points for each partner RSS subscription

* 2 entry points by Tweeting the message below about the giveaway:

I’m entered in the Bible Based PF Blogs giveaway!  You can RT this msg to enter or find out more at http://bit.ly/dfHs0R #GRABBBR

You can retweet the message once per day!  You’ll need ” #GRABBBR to be counted

* 3 entry points for each Newsletter subscription to our partners

* 5 entry points for traveling the GRABBBR network and leaving a comment the  featured GRABBBR page
(1 comment per person per blog)

* 20 entry points for posting a YouTube video about Financial Independence
The video must be 1-3 min in length.
Post the YouTube link in the comments of this thread to receive credit
Only 1 video per person

Partners & Prizes

	$100 Cash Sponsor:  Personal Finance Journey Gain immediate points:  Follow on Twitter   (1) |  Fan / Like on Facebook (1) |   Subscribe via RSS (2) |   Subscribe to Newsletter (3) Travel with the giveaway! Post a comment on PFJ’s “featured GRABBBR date” for 5 entry points! PFJ’s date is July 9, 2010
	$50 Cash Sponsor:  Debt Free Adventure Gain immediate points:  Follow on Twitter   (1) Travel with the giveaway! Post a comment on DFA’s “featured GRABBBR date” for 5 entry points! PFJ’s date is July 12, 2010
	$30 Cash Sponsor: Gather Little By Little Gain immediate points:  Subscribe via RSS (2) |   Subscribe to Newsletter (3) Travel with the giveaway! Post a comment on GLBL “featured GRABBBR date” for 5 entry points! GLBL’s date is June 30, 2010
	$20 Cash & 2 hours of financial planning services (a $200 value) Sponsor: Provident Planning Gain immediate points:  Follow on Twitter   (1) |  Fan / Like on Facebook (1) |   Subscribe via RSS (2) |   Subscribe to Newsletter (3) Travel with the giveaway! Post a comment on PP’s “featured GRABBBR date” for 5 entry points! PP’s date is June 30, 2010
	$25 Amazon Gift Card Sponsor: One Money Design Gain immediate points:  Follow on Twitter   (1) |  Fan / Like on Facebook (1) |   Subscribe via RSS (2) |   Subscribe to Newsletter (3) Travel with the giveaway! Post a comment on OMD’s “featured GRABBBR date” for 5 entry points! OMD’s date is July 2nd, 2010
	The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (book) Sponsor: Personal Finance By the Book Gain immediate points:  Follow on Twitter   (1) |   Subscribe via RSS (2) |   Subscribe to Newsletter (3) Travel with the giveaway! Post a comment on PFBB’s “featured GRABBBR date” for 5 entry points! PFBB’s date is July 7th, 2010

If you are a Bible based personal finance blogger and would like to be a partner in GRABBBR, please contact me!

Start Gaining Entry Points

1. Follow, fan, and subscribe to any of our partners to gain immediate entry points.  Each partner is tracking their entries, so be sure to leave a comment somewhere on their site letting them know you are signed up.  If you are already connected with our partners, be sure to leave a comment anyway so you get points.  Your comment should mention GRABBBR.  Here is a sample comment:

I’m entering GRABBBR!  I’ve just connected with you on Facebook, and am already following you on Twitter and subscribed via RSS.

The partner will record your points accordingly.

2.  Travel the GRABBBR network!
Each partner has a featured GRABBBR date.  Leave a comment on their blog post featured on that date and gain an immediate 5 points.  Only one comment per person per blog.
Here are the dates, check back often as this list will be updated with the correct URL

June 29, 2010     Provident Planning – How to Choose a Legal Guardian for Your Child

June 30, 2010     Gather Little By Little – Frugal and Other Thoughts from the Road

July 2, 2010         One Money Design – GRABBBR weekend round-up
July 7, 2010         Personal Finance By the Book – Belated Birthday Giveaway
July 9, 2010        Personal Finance Journey – Rank My Banks
July 12, 2010        Debt Free Adventure

PLEASE Read Before Leaving a Comment: To gain entry points with our partners, you must leave a comment on THEIR site. If you are following Personal Finance Journey (this site), one Twitter, FB, etc please leave your comment below. You must visit each partner page and leave a comment on THEIR site if you want to receive max entry points. The links to each partner is provided above! Also, you don’t have to leave a new comment for each entry.  You can let us know you’re connected on Twitter, FB, etc in 1 comment.  You’ll receive the same amount of points.

Deadline

All entry actions must be completed by 11:59pm CST on July 13^th.  The random drawing will take place on July 15, 2010.  Winners will be notified by July 19, 2010 and will have 72 hours to respond / claim their prize.  If there is no response within 72 hours, another winner will be selected.  Once on the winners are confirmed, they will be posted here.

Note: Be sure to leave a valid way for the partner to contact you!  This can be a valid email address with your comment, Twitter username, or Facebook profile.

Official GRABBBR Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.  VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.  Entry actions until 11:59 pm CST on July 13, 2010.  PFJ & GRABBBR partners assumes no responsibility in unexpected delays.  PFJ & GRABBBR partners decision is final.  Prizes will be awarded in the order listed on this page using random.org.  Only one prize per person.  The odds of winning is determined by the number of entries.  GRABBBR is open to all individuals 18 and older at the time of drawing who are legal residents of the United States.  GRABBBR partners, immediate family, and those living in the same household are not eligible to win. PFJ will not be held liable for prizes that are lost, stolen, damaged or undelivered.  Any attempted to undermine the legitimate operation of this giveaway will render the participant ineligible.

Peter Anderson, the brains behind Bible Money Matters recently released an E-book called Blueprint for How to Make Money with a Blog. Through hard work and dedication, Peter has reached a point where his blog generated enough income to replace his wife’s day job.  In this 30+ page e-book he outlines the steps he took to achieve success.  It is definitely a blueprint!  This is not an e-book filled with wide margins, screen shots and only high level ideas.  It’s full of detail and specific action steps that can be implemented by anyone serious about generating income from their blog.

I appreciate the fact that Peter zones in on what has worked for him. He doesn’t claim to be a subject matter expert or Internet marketer.  He doesn’t overwhelm the readers with countless options, instead he focuses on his own experience.  The details covered cuts out much of the learning curve for the novice blogger.  The blueprint is an easy read.  I finished it in one sitting, however it is something I will refer back to often because of the amount of detail.  For example, there is a section that lists some suggested WordPress plugins to increase functionality.  There were a few that I’ll be looking into during my next site upgrade!

Who Should Read Blueprint for How to Make Money With a Blog

• Anyone thinking of starting a blog that would like to generate income (the book covers hosting, domain names and setup so it is well worth reading before starting a blog)
• Novice & Intermediate bloggers that would like some guidance / direction
• Bloggers who may be burnt out or have lost their motivation
• Bloggers looking for ideas on how to monetize their blog

Who Should Not Read the Blueprint

• Anyone looking to get rich quick.  Peter took 2 years to reach the level he is at.  This doesn’t happen overnight.
• Anyone looking for easy money ~ Be prepared to treat your blog like a business.  You’re going to have to put in some hours, hard work and dedication

The Blueprint is targeting novice / intermediate level bloggers, those who have already successfully monetized their blogs have probably implemented the steps outlined or forged another path that worked for them.

Summary

Blueprint for How to Make Money with a Blog is an excellent step by step guide for anyone serious about starting and monetizing a blog.  The steps to customize the WordPress options and ideas for generating content make it worth the investment.  Anyone following these steps should see results overtime and the e-book will more than pay for itself.

While I chose to focus on the ebook, the actual package also includes: an MP3 version, a daily checklist, a starter checklist, and advice from successful bloggers (limited time offer).  For me, that was icing on the cake!  Thanks Peter for supplying a great resource to the blogging community!

*** BONUS for Personal Finance Journey Newsletter Subscribers ***

I’ve received permission to share an excerpt of the Blueprint with PFJ newsletter subscribers.  I’ll be sharing from the section Making Money from My Blog – More than Just Adsense. I’m sending the next newsletter out on Friday March 5th so you’ll need to subscribe before then.

The links to the e-book are affiliate links, this means I recieve a commission on the sale.  However, I stand behind this product with my full endorsement.  It is not my intention to ever recommend a product that I don’t beleive will be of service to the readers…regardless of compensation.

Whether you’re goal is to pay off debt, beef up your emergency fund or cross some other hurdle in your financial journey, nothing speeds up the process quicker than an increased cash flow. You can only increase your cash flow in two ways: spend less or earn more. Below are some ideas that I’ve personally implemented to get started. They’ve worked for me, and hopefully they’ll work for you!

1. Review your insurance policies. Are you paying for more coverage than you need? Are you missing out on any discounts (military, organizations, etc)? How much would you save on your car insurance by raising your deductible? (Note: I don’t recommend raising the deductible unless you have funds in place to cover the cost should something happen). Are you paying for more life insurance than you need? Again, I am not recommending that you haphazardly slash all your insurance policies, but I am suggesting you take a look at them and make sure you are paying for what you need…no more, no less.
My story: I was constantly being charged overage fees on my cell phone. These quickly racked up to $200-$300…after the second month of these astronomical bills, I increased my monthly payment by $20 for the unlimited minutes plan. When my contract expired I switched to another service provider with an unlimited voice & data plan. Savings: $30/mo from the previous unlimited plan

2. Lowering your cable bill can significantly increase your cash flow. So you’ll miss a few shows…motivate yourself by thinking about your long term goals. Do your homework and get ready to make some changes. Before calling your current provider, find out if there is a competing service offered in your neighborhood (satellite, cable, etc). Ask about their prices and if they have promotions for new members. Armed with this information, call your current provider, tell them you want to lower or cancel your service. Often times they will make concessions to keep you as a customer. They may offer you a promotional rate for 3-9 months. At this point it is up to you rather you want to keep your service and take a lower rate, temporarily increasing your cash flow, cancel the service altogether, or switch to another provider.

My story: I opted to completely turn off my cable. I realized most of the shows I watch either come on broadcast stations or I can watch on the Internet.  I was offered some very tempting deals to keep my service, but in the end I decided to cancel anyway.  Savings: $60/mo

3. Sell it on Ebay! Do a full inventory of your possessions. What do you own that you can sell? I’ve successfully sold used military uniforms, computer parts, martial arts equipment, and instruments on Ebay. Do you have slightly used clothing? Shoes? Purses? Try selling them as a whole lot.  Some items ship & sell better than others, so do some research to make sure what you’re selling is worth the effort.

My story: I was sold 2 whole life policies (yes 2!!!)….after much research I surrendered both of them after 4 years and took the cash value. For my current situation, term or no life insurance makes the most sense as I don’t have any dependents. Savings: $50/mo plus one time cash value of the surrendered whole life policies

4. Cell phone plans: If you are reading this, chances are you are in the 82.4% of Americans that own a cell phone category. Review your usage for the last couple months. If you are consistently under your quota, consider switching to another plan to save money. Also research smaller providers (Cricket, Metro) to see if they have lower monthly plans. With cell phone companies competing for our business, it is a buyer’s market. Most companies offer unlimited nights & weekends, free incoming calls, and mobile to mobile. Review your calling patterns and figure out what works for you. Do you talk to the same people all the time? Perhaps T-mobile’s myFave network would suit your calling pattern. There are many T-Mobile prepaid plans that could save you a great deal of money as well. Alternatively, if you find yourself consistently going over on your usage, you’ll either need to change your talk habits or spend more now to save later.

My story: I made over $75 on Ebay selling martial arts & electronic equipment I have not used in years.  As of the date of this writing I have pulled approx 10 more items that I will be listing for sell that will probably generate another $200 – $300.

What about you?
There are many more ways to increase cash flow than what is listed here. Have you used any of the methods listed above?  Perhaps you have more ideas?  I’d love to hear your success stories and ideas in the comments below!